Four Seasons In One Day

The army has many different forms of clothing. We have a formal ceremonial uniform for special occasions. We have our combat uniform for going to war in. We get fleeces to keep us warm and there are now even special underpants to keep us cool. We have summer boots, winter boots and desert boots to name but a few. My house is overflowing with different items of military clothing.

Despite all of this when we are 'In-Barracks' the army only acknowledges two seasons. We have 'summer dress' and 'winter dress'. During my time in Northern Ireland summer dress involved a light shirt with sleeves rolled up. Winter dress meant sleeves rolled down and a nice warm woollen jumper added.

The switch between summer dress and winter dress was not determined by the weather but the calendar. As if in some King Canute-like way the army could dictate the temperature. On a certain date summer was deemed to have ended and winter was here.

Nature, however, had its' own ideas. You could almost guarantee that the introduction of 'Winter Dress' would herald the hottest weather of the summer.

Likewise when the army decided that summer was here there would inevitably be a cold snap and assembling on parade in the morning you ran the risk of developing hypothermia.

11 years done now and I still don't understand this.